Got spare change for kids? Ralphs targets after-school programs

Ralphs Grocery Co. announced Monday that it is raising funds to support after-school education programs in Southern California.

Ralphs customers and associates can support after-school programs through the supermarket chain’s nonprofit arm, The Ralphs Fund, by donating their spare change in collection canisters located at the checkstands at Ralphs supermarkets, according to a Ralphs statement. The After-School Education Program fundraising campaign will run through Nov. 7, 2017.

Ralphs contributed more than $160,000 in 2016 to programs focused on educating our youth, including after-school enrichment programs, in Southern California communities served by Ralphs stores, the statement said.

Ralphs was founded in 1873 and operates 193 supermarkets from its headquarters in Los Angeles. Last year, it contributed more than $6 million to support education, hunger relief, women’s health and local nonprofit organizations in the communities served by the company’s stores, according to the statement. Ralphs is a subsidiary of The Kroger Co. of Cincinnati, Ohio.